刨
páo , bào · HSK 7
to dig
⛏️ 刂 (knife) + 包 bāo (phonetic) = a blade that scrapes and digs out
The knife radical 刂 carries the meaning of cutting into the ground, while 包 (bāo) lends the páo/bào sound. Read páo for to dig or excavate; read bào for the carpenter's plane that shaves wood.
刨 — knife radical 刂 + wrap 包
A semantic-phonetic compound: 刂 (knife) gives the meaning of cutting or digging, while 包 (bāo) supplies the sound. Originally referring to scraping or digging with a tool, it later extended to planing wood (páo) and to a carpenter's plane (bào).